Smart Thermostat Buying Guide: What to Buy + What to Know
Smart thermostat buyers save $180 per year on home heating and cooling bills. See why ecobee, Amazon and Google Nest aced our best smart thermostat rankings.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was written by Travis Jones, the owner of Smart Roof and Home Performance. Travis is an expert on smart home technology. We asked him to provide a smart thermostat buying guide and help homeowners upgrade to the 3 best smart thermostats on the market.
You’re finally on the road for that summer vacation. That feeling in the pit of your stomach hits. You look at your partner and say, “Oh no. I forgot to change the thermostats. Did you?”
We all know the feeling. But if you’ve already upgraded to smart thermostats, you have nothing to worry about.
The smart thermostat is more than a digital version of your old manual dial or slider. A smart thermostat learns your behavior and adjusts your home temperature for both comfort and savings. Smart thermostats can save you hundreds a year on heating and cooling your home.
Half our energy costs come from cooling and heating our homes. With electricity and natural gas prices going up, the cost to upgrade your thermostat will pay for itself in time. After that, you’ll save money — read on to see how you can save nearly $200 a year.
In other words, your smart thermostat has 2 jobs:
Smart thermostats learn your patterns and anticipate your home heating and cooling habits, providing you stress-free comfort year-round.
Smart thermostats save you money on home energy bills.
Here's what we'll cover in this home smart thermostat buying guide:
Built-in sensors, timely alerts, personal programming and easy-to-use apps are the 4 core features of a good smart home thermostat.
Smart thermostats save up to $180 per year on home heating and cooling bills. The EPA suggests installing a smart thermostat to reduce home energy use.
The Amazon Smart Thermostat, Google Nest Learning Thermostat, and ecobee Smart Thermostat Lite are our top 3 smart thermostat picks.
Make sure your smart thermostat pairs with your smart home assistant!
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What Do Smart Thermostats Do?
Smart thermostats use built-in sensors to know when you’re home. They can use that data to create an ideal schedule so your system runs only when needed. No more heating or cooling an empty home.
Another important feature of a smart thermostat is its ability to send you alerts if it senses issues with your HVAC system. This includes reminders to change your filters. Dirty filters reduce the efficiency of your system leading to higher costs.
Smart thermostats work with different apps like Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant that give you the ability to control your thermostat remotely, whether you’re sitting on your couch or sipping a cold beverage at the beach.
How Much Money Do Smart Thermostats Save?
EnergyStar reports that a programmable smart thermostat can save homeowners up to $180 a year on home heating and cooling bills. It’s why the best smart thermostats on the market have earned the EnergyStar rating
Independent data collected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirms that smart thermostats save homeowners money. In the EPA’s study, smart home energy systems saved their owners an average of 8% per year.
Our top 3 best smart home thermostats all feature discounts from energy providers in select markets. We found rebates starting from $50 for Amazon Smart Thermostat, $79 for Google Nest Learning Thermostat, and up to $100+ for ecobee Lite Smart Thermostat.
My Expertise Saves Homeowners Money on Smart Tech
I’m an energy and home performance consultant that works with HOMR. I help homeowners save money by helping them make informed choices on energy efficiency improvements to their homes. I also write a daily email newsletter to help homeowners live smarter.
Get a smart home indoors and outdoors! Our guide to the top 5 smart irrigation controllers helps homeowners save 7,500+ gallons of water and over $430 on water bills per year.
🙌 Our Recommendations for Smart Thermostats
From energy usage to smart temperature setting, the best smart thermostats add value to your home in multiple ways.
We found three devices we really like: the Amazon Smart Thermostat, Google Nest Learning Thermostat, and ecobee Smart Thermostat Lite.
Amazon Smart Thermostat
Amazon Smart Thermostat: Best Smart Thermostat Selection
The EPA estimates that Amazon Smart Thermostat users save $50 per year on home heating and cooling costs. The Alexa app allows users to set and schedule their home temperature from anywhere — we like the thermostat's seamless integration with whole-home Alexa smart services.
Amazon sends new Smart Thermostat buyers information regarding local rebates for thermostat purchases. These include a $50 DTE rebate in Michigan and a $50 Tampa Electric rebate in Florida.
Amazon sells a C-wire adapter in a bundled purchase available through their website.
Google Nest Learning Thermostat
Google Nest Learning Thermostat: Best Smart Thermostat Selection
The Google Nest Learning Thermostat is EnergyStar certified and provides HVAC monitoring. Get real time alerts when your device senses any unexpected shifts in your home heating or cooling usage rates.
We like Nest Thermostat's self-regulation features when you leave home. It automatically turns down usage, ensuring you don't waste heating or cooling energy while your home is empty. The built-in Savings Finder suggests new ways to adjust your home schedule to save even more on energy bills.
Google Nest Learning Thermostat is designed to work without a C wire in most homes, and is compatible with Alexa and Google Assisstant.
ecobee Smart Thermostat Lite
ecobee3 Lite Smart Thermostat: Best Smart Thermostat Selection
Of our 3 top smart thermostat choices, only ecobee is compatible with Amazon, Google Assistant and Siri (apple). We also like that rebates are available for ecobee Smart Thermostat Lite buyers depending on location — for example, a $50 HILCO rebate in Texas and a $100 rebate through JCP&L in New Jersey.
The ecobee3 Lite Smart Thermostat offers annual heating and cooling savings of up to 23%, earning it EnergyStar Partner of the Year honors. It's compatible with most 24VAC HVAC systems and includes a Power Extender Kit for homes without a C wire.
We like that ecobee Lite automatically pauses your heating and cooling when a door or window is left open. This feature requires the ecobee Smart Sensor and subscription to its Smart Security service.
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🤔 Know 3 Things Before You Buy a Smart Thermostat
Before you choose a smart thermostat for your home, you should consider 3 factors: installation, sensors and your current smart assistant. Each brand offers different strengths and compatibility requirements that will affect your purchasing decision.
Installation — All 3 of our smart thermostat picks are DIY friendly. But if you need installation, Google has a for hire option. You can also request a free quote for smart thermostat installation from HOMR with one message and no sign up required.
Sensors — If you have an important room (bedroom, nursery) that doesn’t heat or cool like the room where the thermostat is, Google and ecobee sell sensors to help with this.
Smart Assistant — Note that each of our 3 picks for best smart thermostat pairs with a specific home smart assistant:
Amazon Smart Thermostat only pairs with Amazon’s Alexa.
Google Nest Learning Thermostat pairs with Alexa and Google Assistant.
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Lite pairs withAlexa, Google Assistant, and Siri (Apple).
Smart Thermostats + A Smart Owner = A Truly Smart Home
The era of smart home comfort is here to stay. Take advantage of smart devices to work for you behind the scenes or help you create home automation systems. You'll experience a smarter, safer and more energy efficient home.
Start by picking the smart assistant you want to use — then, expand your smart home within that ecosystem. Each of these smart devices has pros and cons, but they will all continue to get better and with more features.
TLDR? Don’t overthink which smart thermostat you choose. Just pick one that syncs with your smart assistant, so your smart home starts working for you (and your energy bill).
A shorter version of this article was published as a Smart Homeowner Daily Email. Read more on Travis’ blog.
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